


When the Lights Are Down

by EnigmaticPerfection



Series: Enigmatic's Quarantine and Chill [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bickering, Blackouts, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Isolation, Quarantine and Chill Fic Drive (Arrow TV 2012), Rivals to Lovers, Romantic Comedy, Snowed In, Trapped, Trapped In Elevator, i might continue this, lockdown - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23719810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnigmaticPerfection/pseuds/EnigmaticPerfection
Summary: A lawyer and a tech executive, two workaholics on the top of their fields who dislike each other but not much that it matters to their lives.Except their meddling Executive Assistants think differently.And, considering they find themselves isolated together, so does fate.The blackout is just the beginning.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Roy Harper & Evelyn Sharp
Series: Enigmatic's Quarantine and Chill [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694653
Comments: 20
Kudos: 99
Collections: Quarantine and Chill Fic Drive 2020





	1. Part 1 – Hell Breaks Loose

**Author's Note:**

> Quarantine and Chill Fic Drive: prompts 'Enemies to Lovers' + 'Rivals isolating together'
> 
> This is a multichapter that I’ve had in my head for a while. Decided to give you a glimpse of it except it turned into a big glimpse.
> 
> Inspired by Netflix’s “Set It Up” but then became a monster of its own.
> 
> English is not my first language so apologies for any mistakes.
> 
> ATTENTION: contains a minor panic attack.

Felicity Smoak was wired in.

She was in that deep trance where the outside world no longer existed and was transformed in 0s and 1s. Her eyes only knew the countless lines of code that unrolled into a million functions, her brain ran in the speed of light, catching and processing the code and coming up with new lines to connect with the existing ones. Her fingers typed furiously, so fast anyone watched her could get a glimpse of blurriness. She no longer wore her heels, discarded a few inches from her dangling feet. A few strands of hair escaped her once impeccable ponytail. Glasses were a bit askew as she at some point tilted it with her finger to place it better but didn’t work and she didn’t realize it. Energy buzzed through her, body and mind.

Still couldn’t find out what went wrong with the algorithm. At the same time it annoyed her it also fueled her to discover the truth. Felicity hated mysteries.

Everybody at the company knew not to disturb her in that state. Felicity wasn’t her usual adorable, charismatic self then. She stormed at anyone who dared to break her train of thought, she got cranky and snippy. The company learned that when the big hacking attempt happened.

The only person who truly knew how to handle her was her Executive Assistant Evelyn Sharp. Felicity had a glimpse of Evelyn through the corner of her eye when she slowed down for a bit since her bladder was bugging her.

“Hey Evelyn.” Felicity’s eyes moved away from the screen. Her vision was weird, blurry and a bit out of focus. She blinked a few times for it to go back to normal. Adjusted the glasses. She knew spending too much time in front of a screen was bad, especially for someone who already had an impaired vision, but she couldn’t help. The challenge was thrilling.

The younger woman startled, caught by surprise. Didn’t expect her boss paying attention.

“Hey Miss Smoak.” She pointed at the bag she just dropped one the coffee table near the couch. “Just dropping this. Figured you’d might need.”

Felicity looked at the bag. Bagels from her favorite place. Evelyn was a gem.

“Angel, you’ve got wings, baby”, she said. Saw Evelyn’s eyes widen, then realized what she said and quickly explained. “No, no, not harassment. It’s a teasing line from Gilmore Girls. You should watch it. Nowadays I have some problems with the leads that I didn’t back when the show was on air, but it’s fun anyway. Except for the Netflix revival. Too pretty but destroyed the story. And go figure why my brain came up with Gilmore Girls when I’m too focused in this.” And pointed to the computer again. Felicity noticed she was once again babbling, but Evelyn got her and she also had her moments too. A talkative duo they were. “Anyway, thanks Evelyn.” She openly smiled. “Also, finish what you’re doing then leave. Seems like I’m working overtime... again.”

Evelyn nodded. “Ok.” She headed for the office’s door then turned on her heels. “Oh since we probably won’t see each other ‘til tomorrow... The meeting with the new lawyer is scheduled three days from now. Is it okay with you?”

Ah yes. Felicity’s new major problem - though the malfunctioning algorithm was temporarily the number one. One might even say part of the reason she was so deep into this code was to forget the potential lawsuit she was facing. Her mood soured a bit, smile fading.

“Yeah yeah. The sooner we deal with this, the better”, she huffed. “Wait, did you say new lawyer? I thought the company already had its legal team.”

“The CEO wants to change, apparently.” Evelyn shrugged. “They’re targeting a new firm and they’re targeting us back. Big shots meet big shots. Anyway, I’ll RSPV yes to the meeting.”

“Great. Is that all?” Felicity tilted her head and stood up. She really needed to go to the restroom.

“Yeah. Oh, and don’t stay here til much late, Miss Smoak.” Her boss leveled her with a look. “Felicity”, she winced.

When Felicity thought her EA finally learned to address her by her first name, she slipped again. “Especially cause weather forecast announced some heavy snow for tonight.”

Felicity smiled, thinking how much Evelyn cared for her. She knew she sometimes worked crazy hours, but she honestly enjoyed it.

“I won’t, Evelyn. And thanks for the snow heads up, I had no idea.”

“And don’t I know?” The EA quipped, glancing briefly at the computer. “They’re saying this much snow is rare so we better be prepared.”

Felicity passed her EA heading for the exit and the bathroom. “Bye, Evelyn, see you tomorrow!”

Sun had gone down when Felicity finally stopped and eyed the floor to ceiling window. She startled seeing the darkness outside. Snow had started falling but nothing out of the ordinary and she calculated she still could go home without much trouble.

She felt great with herself for fixing the problem, though she knew once the thrilling wave passed she’d feel tired. Her muscles were stiff after so much time in the same position, so she did some stretching before getting up. Quickly turned off the computer, changed her heels for her Uggs, grabbed her things and left. Once again she was the last one to leave office.

Still, Felicity felt light. It was a great day of work.

That was until she was at the elevator and her nemesis walked in.

_Devil wears a three-piece suit._

Something nagged Oliver’s brain when he was in the middle of the deposition. As if a flick had been upped.

Oliver Queen trusted his gut. It was one of the reasons he was a highly prestigious lawyer in Starling City.

As soon as the meeting was over, he got up, ordered that all the files be delivered at his office and headed there with some papers he gathered. He could’ve handed the task to his subordinates, the intern or even the paralegal, but none of them had his eye or mind. They wouldn’t find out.

“Harper, cancel whatever you can”, he said speeding past his Executive Assistant’s desk.

Roy Harper stopped typing and looked up. Except his boss had already vanished into his office. Roy stood up and rushed after him.

“A lot has already been canceled, Mr. Queen”, he said. “The trouble in the Glades, the impeding snowstorm... People are wary.”

Oh yeah, Oliver heard something about it. He needed to finish before the icy hell broke loose.

“Right”, he said. “So reschedule whatever you can.” He suddenly remembered the dinner with his sister and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. It was like the third appointment he bailed on her and he knew she might be upset. Especially since the former two he’d asked Roy to reschedule.

It’s not like it was his fault. The schism between Kord Industries and JP Communications was taking over most of his billable hours. It was already the biggest corporate scandal of the year, a battle royale as some media outlets have been calling, and Oliver was the co-leader on the Kord Industries side along with his boss, one of the firm’s owners. Needless to say there was a lot of money involved and it was by far the most complex case the firm had this year. He really needed to dive into those papers because maybe he might be able to sort it out today.

He felt in his bones his wild card there.

So he’d come up with the best settlement that would knock his firm’s client, their adversary and the city out of their asses.

No wonder Oliver was a junior partner and had a big office at his age.

“Except Thea. I think I’ll have to face this storm by myself”, he sighed.

Roy chuckled. Thea had visited Oliver enough so he knew her. A few times the lawyer found her talking to his EA as she waited for him.

“Alright.” Instead of leaving, the young man remained there. Uneasiness started to fill his stance. Oliver moved his eyes up.

He knew he was harsh on the kid, more times than he should have been and he admitted that. It was both due to his hard personality, his history with the kid and to prepare Roy so he could face anything in his professional future without trembling. He always respected Roy, made sure to show he was appreciated. Or so he thought. Oliver cared about him. Still there was no need Roy to be afraid of him. Because that was what it looked like.

Oliver didn’t like people who just didn’t say what they wanted. He thought after two years him and his EA were past it. From day one Oliver said he wanted a straight line between them, no matter if what needed to be said wasn’t pleasant.

Did Roy think he could ruin his life? If that were true, Oliver would’ve ruined his life when they met. Instead he gave the boy a second chance.

And Roy took it with his heart and soul and deep inside Oliver was proud of it. He saw him as his pupil.

“Just speak, Harper. We’re better than this”, he said, well aware a ting of annoyance colored his tone. He really wanted to dive into the documents.

Roy cleared his throat. “I have just a few things to finish. I was wondering if I could leave right after. Don’t wanna be trapped somewhere with the way the city is hectic today.”

Oliver knew his schedule was crazy. Sometimes Roy stayed late with him. But he didn’t like doing that, felt like taking advantage of him. Staying late was his choice, there was no need to burden the kid with it. He really didn’t think Roy had a problem with asking him to leave early.

“You’re more valuable to me alive, Harper”, he said with his dry humor. “Just go. Oh before you leave order me dinner.”

Someone knocked on the door. Oliver motioned and an associate walked in, carrying a mountain of documents, placed it on his desk then left.

Roy cocked his head, glancing at the files. “Kord vs JPC?”

“Yeah.”

“I figured. Don’t stay too late, Mr. Queen. Don’t wanna read how you froze to death somewhere on the streets.”

“Watch it, kid.” Oliver retorted but a smirk wanted to curve his lips. Kid’s got wit and he liked it. In some ways Roy’s temper reminded him of his own, except Roy was more hot-headed and couldn’t control it. In the beginning sometimes it got over his head and Oliver scolded him. “Thought it was your dream.”

“No way. And even if it were, karma would bite me in the ass and I’d end up working for Chase.”

Oliver’s lips trembled again. “Just get out, kid.”

“So you can laugh and nobody else knows? And destroy your reputation of being a ruthless, cold bastard?”

“Keep going and I’ll bury in the snow myself. No one will find your body.”

Roy let out a laughter, walked to the door and turned on his heels one more time, face growing serious and confident. “Seriously. Don’t be the last to leave again. You’ll figure it out soon cause you’re the best fucking closer in this city.”

“Stop kissing my ass, kid. I have a lot to do and you’re in my way.”

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Queen.”

And it turned out Oliver really stayed late. He found his wild card and he was beyond satisfied. JPC would lose and his bosses would be impressed with him once again.

He didn’t even touch his food. Decided to eat at home and just grabbed the bag on his way out. The firm was silent, most of the lights down, as he crossed the path to the elevator.

The metallic door opened. There was only one person inside. A familiar tiny blonde. The blue eyes behind the glasses squeezed, zeroing him, blazing.

Oliver let out a groan realizing who was. His satisfaction dropped with the sight.

“Can’t fucking believe it”, she mumbled in pauses as he walked in. He took the other corner, away from her.

Oliver looked at the button. She’d pressed the same garage floor he’d go. It seemed fitting. It was where they met weeks ago.

It took only one day for them to dislike each other.

“What? Did I ruin your day with my face?” he retorted. “Great.”

She scoffed. “You’d have to mean something to me for that stupid, handsome face of yours actually have an impact in my life.”

She closed her eyes for a second, looking like she was reprehending herself. Probably because she called him handsome.

“Well apparently I do cause I can see your scowl.”

She laughed dryly. “We barely know each other.”

“I know you enough. Ferocious, loud and a horrible driver with that clown car.”

The last part, a call to their first meeting, made her fume. There was a part inside of Oliver that enjoyed riling her up. He kept an annoying smirk.

They’d met twice and the intense arguing stopped them from learning much about the other. He knew her name though. Felicity Smoak. Worked in the same building some floors up, though he didn’t know where. Oliver just had an idea of the other companies the building had. Some related to technology and engineering, some designer ones, mostly financial and consulting. What he did know was there was a tech company there his firm was aiming to do business with because today he had lunch with his boss.

Whatever she worked with, it must be a high position, since she wore sharp, fashion clothes. Tonight she wore a tight black shirt that disappeared inside a flow-y black and white printed shirt. A dark pink trench coat covered her. The caramel pair of Uggs both broke and strangely harmonized the look. She was cute, he’d begrudgingly admitted, though annoying as hell.

“I could say the same. You’re not easy to figure out. Just another uptight arrogant asshole who thinks the universe revolves around him.”

Oliver laughed. He didn’t mean to. She boxed him in a cliché and he couldn’t help it.

“Probably works in an investment company.”

“Zero points for Miss Smoak”, he quipped.

“Why? What are you?”

“A lawyer.”

She huffed. “Not much different.”

“If it works for you, go with it.” He shrugged. Unexpectedly he was entertained by that entire banter. Even with the tension, there was some lightness in the air. She was a breeze of fresh air. She wasn’t part of his world, where every day he read people to find their weakness, their strengths, if they were telling the truth or lying. He still read her, he couldn’t simply turn this part of him off, but there was no pressure. Nothing to except from her and she excepted nothing from him. It was maybe... endearing.

Heaven knows why all this passed through his mind. A part of him thought he lost his mind somewhere in the midst of papers and legal jargon.

The elevator suddenly shook and the lights blinked. By his side Felicity’s eyes widened and she frantically looked around.

“Oh no. Oh no no no no”, she gasped nervous.

Seconds later a loud thud. The elevator shook again and stopped. Lights were out. Pure darkness.

“Shit”, Oliver cursed.

Felicity shrieked. “No way!” He heard her fumbling. “No reception, of course! The lights are out anyway so even if I could I wouldn’t be able to do much.” He heard footsteps. Now she was pacing. “Doesn’t this have a generator or something? Do generators work for elevators? I feel like I’m supposed to know that but now I can’ remember. Oh god I can’t see nothing and soon it’ll start to feel hot and...”

She was a babbler, speaking in lightspeed and surprisingly Oliver could understand. Not to mention sounded fully panicked.

“Did I say I have a little bit of claustrophobia? Oh it’s because of the snowstorm! How will emergency find us if the power is out?”

Her breathing chocked, he could clearly listen to it. Fast, restrained. She was hyperventilating, on the edge of a panic attack.

Shit.

Oliver might be an asshole, but he wasn’t a heartless monster. While he did think about teasing her for the babbling, a full panic attack was serious.

He took his phone and turned on the flashlight. He turned to look at her desperate moves and took two steps towards her side of the car. Felicity looked phantasmagoric both due to the eerie light and because panic drained the color out of her face. Her chest heaved. “Felicity, I know this sucks but first let’s focus on you. You need to stop pacing and ground yourself. Look at me.”

It was the first time he addressed her with a soft tone.

Felicity stopped pacing, suddenly noticing the light. She frowned, still wide eyed and ragged breaths. Her baby blue eyes fixed on his face and he hated seeing the panic there and poisoning her features. Her lips were parted in a ‘O’.

“I need to get this thing off”, she panted, dropped her purse on the ground and removed her coat.

“Ok, remove it. Now please look at me. Follow my breathing ok?”

Thankfully she focused on him and followed his instructions. Oliver didn’t move further, afraid he’d make her feel more suffocated. Soon she started to soothe.

By the time she seemed normal again, the elevator moved once more. An emergency light turned on. Oliver looked at the digital panel. Apparently the elevator was in emergency mode.

“I guess we won’t be able to go all the way down, but...”

He was interrupted by the door opening. Felicity said nothing, just rushed out. He grabbed her stuff on the ground and left too. The door closed.

He looked around the hallway. They were in a floor he didn’t know. Emergency lights were on, casting a dim blueish glow everywhere. It was warm, though less than usual, and he imagined the generators sustained the heating system just to make the air comfortable. If not for his peacoat, he might have been a bit cold. Through the windows he could see snow falling, much more than it was usual for Starling. Nearby buildings were also in the dark.

He glanced back at Felicity. Tension hadn’t completely vanished off her face, but she looked better. When her eyes met him, she moved them down to her stuff. She quickly ripped them off his hands, clutching to her chest.

“Uh thanks.” For someone so spoken and witty, she was suddenly timid and uncomfortable. Oliver didn’t like that thick, sizzling air between them.

“What are bastards for?” he said in attempt of humor.

What a bastard he was indeed! He didn’t know how to handle the sudden, weird friendliness between them so he decided to destroy it and resort to their bickering.

Her face changed, fear disappearing. She tilted her head, her eyes in a laser focus as if she could read all of his bullshit. “You really don’t know how to act like a real human being, do you?”

There was something off about him whenever he was around her.

“I reserve that to only who deserve”, he retorted.

Felicity scoffed, her fire coming back, and grabbed her phone. “I’m done wasting my time with you. I need to figure out a way to go home.”

“How?” He asked bewildered. “Look outside. There’s a literal snowstorm hitting the city.”

Was the woman crazy?

“And you think I’ll be stuck here? _With you?_ There’s a hotel not far, maybe I can go there...”

The sound of the cell phone caught their attention. _“This afternoon the City Hall has declared a lockdown in the city for the next 24 hours due to the storm. Starling City was already on alert due to the riot in the Iron Heights Prison and the police operation in the Glades that escalated, and Mayor Valerie Prescott decided for the lockdown to preserve the safety of citizens. People should not go out and must remain sheltered unless for emergency workers. It is to be known that the snowstorm might affect basic services such as power and water.”_

No.

No way.

No way in fucking hell.

The news threw Oliver for a loop.

Of all days, why did he decide to overtime today?

He was mad at himself. He was amazing at decision-making but today he epically failed.

His eyes moved from Felicity’s phone to her. Worse, he was trapped with her. He held back a groan. Was this some twisted joke from the universe? What did he do to deserve that punishment?

He didn’t doubt there were more people in the building. Statistically speaking it was very probable. But he ended up with his sort of nemesis.

Fucking fantastic.

“Hell no!” Felicity exclaimed staring at him, reaching to the same conclusion.

For some crazy reason, he opened a teasing smile. “Looks like you’re stuck with me, _darling_.”

She grunted. “I’d rather be in hell!”

“Just go outside, _darling_.” He repeated because he liked seeing her flinch with anger with the pet name, which was his purpose. “Seems like the whole ‘when hell freezes’ people talk about finally arrived.”

Oliver could spend the rest of the night riling her up. At least he’d have fun and divert his mind off the shitty situation he was trapped in now.

Felicity started to ramble again in a low voice. He only captured some things. “I must be paying for my sins... That’s with... Stuck with this arrogant, inconsiderate... Butt-faced miscreant!” She said out loud and suddenly her eyes shot up to him. There were the fiery eyes from the day he met. Felicity didn’t back down, didn’t feel intimidated by him. In fact, there was fierceness and power in her posture that somehow made her intimidating. “Never understood before now, but yeah... Butt-faced miscreant! You’re a butt-faced miscreant!”

Oliver frowned, feeling lost. “I’m sorry... what?”

Instead of answering, she walked away a few steps, typed on her phone and started to speak. He decided to do the same and call his EA.

“Please tell me this is not a call for rescue”, Roy greeted him cheerfully.

Oliver locked his jaw. “Not now, kid”, he growled. Shouldn’t lash out on him because he was innocent but his patience no longer existed.

Roy must’ve felt his mood because soon his voice changed to business. “Sorry. What is it, Mr. Queen?”

Oliver quickly explained the situation, leaving Felicity out, though he imagined his Assistant could listen to her on the background. He also pretended to not listen her name-calling him. He ordered Roy to make even more changes to his schedules and for him to work home for the next couple of days.

Now he needed to survive.

Evelyn watched the snowstorm outside from her bedroom window in her fluffy pjs, glad that she didn’t accept Roy’s dumb idea to hang out. Imagine if they ended up trapped somewhere? With no cozy bed or blankets or proper heater?

Her phone buzzed and she reached for it. She frowned, reading her boss’ name, then opened her message, which was actually an audio.

_Felicity Smoak: Evelyn, you won’t believe it. Lockdown is on and I couldn’t leave the office. I’m trapped and isolated in this goddamn building! And with butt-faced miscreant, nonetheless... Power went down! No way I’ll be able to work tomorrow. Or until whenever this chaos gives a break. It seems you’ll have to work from home tomorrow. Please cancel all my appointments. So sorry. Talk to you later._

Felicity’s voice was hushed, and Evelyn couldn’t understand why. She sounded apprehensive but not as much as Evelyn expected; mostly there was annoyance.

Evelyn didn’t understand why.

But she did understand the message and got immediately worried. Felicity was trapped in the company’s building? That was awful. Her heart clenched for her boss. She hoped at least Felicity was in her office because there were some appliances there and a comfy couch.

She typed an answer.

_Evelyn Sharp: This is awful, Miss Smoak. Don’t worry, I’ll handle as much as I can from home. Please tell me if you need anything. Hope this storm ends quickly!_

She threw her phone on the mattress and headed to her desk to turn the computer and check Felicity’s agenda. It buzzed again not much later, this time the screen lighting up with a call. Thinking it was her boss, Evelyn dove for the phone, but it was in fact Roy.

“You can start by saying ‘I told you’ so”, she greeted.

“I won’t say you were right”, he said at the same time.

They stopped for a moment then laughed.

“It’s my victory anyway, Harper”, she quipped. “Imagine if I’d said yes earlier? God forbid us being trapped in a bar!”

“Or in the office”, Roy said.

“Yeah that too”, she mumbled with a shiver, thinking of poor Felicity.

“Like my boss.”

 _Wait a minute._ Roy’s boss as in Oliver Queen? Oliver was trapped in the building too?

“Shut up!” Evelyn exclaimed sitting on her bed, mouth agape.

“Yeap.” She could imagine Roy nodding on the other side. “And apparently someone’s with him. A woman. I heard her voice in the background when he called me. He seemed to be struggling to keep his cool.”

 _Wait a fucking minute._ Evelyn took a deep breath. “Roy, Felicity’s trapped in the building too.”

There was a moment of silence.

“No way!”

“And she sounded kinda annoyed too. I couldn’t understand why, but...”

“You don’t think...”

“They’re trapped together?” Evelyn completed. “I do.”

“It’s, it’s too much coincidence!” stuttered Roy, the reasonable.

“Maybe, maybe not. I mean, we’ve stablished they sometimes leave at the same time. And the elevator that attends Helix also attends your firm.”

She sent him Felicity’s audio for confirmation. Seconds passed as she waited for him to listen.

“Holy crap, our bosses are trapped together!” Roy exclaimed, weirded out.

Suddenly a grin broke in Evelyn’s face, turning the worry and surprise to dust. “You know what this means? That the universe wants them together!”

She heard the faint noise of a grunt. “Do you also know what it means? They could find out we set them up.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “Damn!” she cursed loudly. “Do you... do you think they could discover it was us?”

“Oliver’s damn good lawyer”, Roy answered. “And do you also know what else he’s good at? Martial arts! He’s a Krav Maga master or whatever you call it. Which means he’s gonna kill me. _Like I told you since day one!_ ”

She couldn’t keep a laugh with his desperation. It wasn’t the first time Roy had a meltdown with the possibility of his boss finding out their plot. “Isn’t Krav Maga self-defense?”

“Well then, it’s not the only thing he knows. I’ve seen the man throwing punches. Don’t wanna be on the other side of those fists. Which might happen because of you!” he aggressively said.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, no need to remind me I had the idea to set our bosses up. But you agreed and was excited.”

“I was tipsy! And I might have been truly been excited for a minute... until it all went wrong.”

“In our defense, we didn’t know they met before. We only did after what we thought was the first meeting. Because a meet cute is what we planned.”

“ _You_ planned.”

“We’re in this together, _cupcake_.” Evelyn laid down on the mattress, sprawling her body. “And now they’ve been set up again. By mother nature, nonetheless!” She sounded excited again. “Who knows if this time works? And they probably don’t wanna talk about the failed attempt of a date, so there’s possibility they won’t find out what we did.”

Roy stood in silence, and Evelyn thought she reasoned him.

“Oh man, this is better than any plan we’ve come up with!” she said. “You gotta admit this is borderline fate, Roy.”

“I can admit it’s a crazy coincidence”, Roy said still sounding somehow uncertain.

“I can’t wait for the next days!”

So that was it. Evelyn’s and Roy’s workaholic bosses, who they set them up so they could hook up and loosen up from their hectic and stressful schedules and who vocally disliked each other, were now together in a lockdown at their work building. And were forced to spend the night together.

If they didn’t kill each other first.


	2. Part 2 - Surviving Hell

Felicity approached him as soon as he finished the call and put his phone inside his suit pocket.

“Well, Oliver, this has been unpleasant as always.” Sarcasm dripped of her voice. “If you’ll excuse me I’ll go back to my office.”

She turned on her heels and marched to the stairs.

“Just out of curiosity, where is your office?”

“38th.”

They were at the 23rd.

“Great. While you climb the Everest I’ll head to my office, which is on the 30th, and eat my dinner.” Oliver purposely lifted his bag. Her gaze fell to it and he saw the longing in there.

Food was not in Miss Smoak’s lockdown survival kit.

Surely the food was cold now, but it was better than nothing. There was probably food in the cabinets at the firm’s kitchen, but they belonged to others. Still it was there in case Oliver needed it.

It was a 24-hour lockdown but heaven knows when the chaos would truly end.

Oliver passed by Felicity heading to the stairs.

“Have a fun lockdown, Miss Smoak.”

He’d barely opened the door when he heard footsteps.

“You’ll think I’ll let you have the rest of your lockdown calm? Not while we go up. You said yourself: we’re trapped together.”

Oliver sighed. He knew she was trying to annoy him as much as he was doing with her.

And oh boy, did Felicity play the end of her bargain! Until the 30th floor she talked. And talked. She rambled about the most random things, which was strangely connected and cohesive in her speech in a way Oliver feared only she could accomplish. She went from trivialities to scientific facts, and there was a tiny part of him who enjoyed the facts overload and was entertained by her.

Crap.

He shouldn’t be charmed by her.

Oliver was a physically active man but he was tired by the time they reached his floor. Felicity was not fit because she panted. Go figure how she still babbled in that state, but maybe it was the challenge to drive him crazy that fueled her. Oliver understood the power of a challenge like a few.

He stopped with the door half opened and saw her passing to the next set of stairs. “What are you doing?”

She stopped. “Are you brain damaged?”

He rolled his eyes. “And I thought I was stubborn. Don’t be silly, Felicity. I have plenty of food plus my office is right here.” Almost said it would be nice to have company in a lockdown.

Damn, he might really be brain damaged.

How could a woman he claimed he strongly disliked mess up with his emotions like that?

It was the lockdown. That was it.

Felicity hesitated. Her eyes shifted from the restaurant bag to his face. He could see she was interested. A full stomach would make things better.

She huffed and climbed down the three steps she’d went up. “This might be the lowest I’ve been for food”, she mumbled stopping next to him. “Alright, lead the way.”

They entered the hall. Then Oliver came to a halt when he realized something he should have sooner. “Fuck.”

“What?”

Instead of answering, he marched to the firm’s door though he knew it wouldn’t work.

“The firm uses an electronic lock.” He looked at the digital panel. Off. “And the building’s backup system doesn’t cover it.”

So they were trapped again.

“You big dumb pine tree.”

“You tiny bundle of annoyance.”

Felicity glared at him. “You so are karma biting my ass. Which I can’t understand why since I’m nice to anyone.”

“Delightful”, Oliver said sarcastically.

Suddenly Felicity’s face changed. She nipped her bottom lip - her plump pink colored lip he shouldn’t have noticed - as if in deep in thought. What could be possibly going on in that wild mind of hers?

“What if I told you I could get us in?”

“I’d ask you if you developed super powers on your way up here, Miss Avenger.”

“Look at you trying to be funny. Please stop. And I’m shocked you know the Avengers.”

Oliver snorted, “I’m not an uncultured swine.”

“You look like one.”

He rolled his eyes, his frustration towards her pilling up again and turning into anger. “How would you get us in?”

She lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers. “I’ve been told I have magical fingers. They could turn your wildest dreams into reality and make you come undone.” She immediately realized what she said. Oliver lifted an eyebrow. Even with the faint light, he saw a soft shade of pink cover her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “Three, two, one. I mean in terms of internet! I love the internet. What I also mean is that I could use the backup system in our benefit, except...”

Her sudden stop made him groan. “Except what?”

Oliver Queen was the furthest from being the most patient of men.

“Isn’t there like this thing that you give a lawyer a dollar and you can’t tell my stuff to anyone?”

“Indeed there’s this symbolic thing. Except if you want me to keep your secret I’d charge you full rate for your irreverence.”

She threw him an inflamed gaze. “As if I’d ever hire you!”

Oliver was getting tired of this shit. “Could you make some sense, Felicity, for fucking’s sake? Just give me the fucking dollar and you’re covered by privilege.”

She took her wallet. “How much was the dinner? I pay half and that’s.”

How did she go from one thing to another in such a dizzying pace? He was as irritated with her as she caught him by surprise.

“Dinner’s my treat”, he answered softly.

They locked eyes. Oliver opened his hand, palm up. Felicity approached him but she surprised him by invading his personal space and placing the bill in his suit’s pocket. The smudged makeup revealed some light freckles on her delicate nose. He caught a glimpse of a flowery scent. Jasmin and lotus flower. So good.

He admonished himself for the thought.

“I do have a super power, Captain Grumpy”, she said with such wit and confidence. The kind smile that curved her lips caught him by surprise. Then she finally put some distance between them.

Felicity opened her purse and took out her tablet. She sat on the ground and started working. Her skirt rode up, revealing toned legs and creamy skin that looked smooth. She also didn’t mind being there on the cold floor and in mere seconds was so focused on her task it seemed the outside world no longer existed.

It was captivating.

“Could you just give an overview of what you’re doing?”

She threw him a sharp looking for interrupting her thing but then sighed and explained. “This building runs both on power offered by the city’s grid and solar power, which means it’s got energy storage. Batteries. They are keeping the backup system running. However, there isn’t much for the entire building for it to run properly, meaning keep all lights on and the heating. Since everything today is digital, I’m entering this system and channeling the power here so we could use your firm’s appliances. My company has built softwares like this. I’m basically telling the system to put the energy here and not somewhere else. Don’t worry, I’m not diverting from people who are also trapped here.”

“You’re entering the system”, he repeated carefully. “As in hacking?”

She bobbed her head, eyes still glued on the screen. “Hacking is such an ugly word.” He lifted an eyebrow to her. She looked up briefly.

“Would call it a hobby?” he quipped.

“I say waltzing into a system without asking for permission. Like a spy. It’s _thrilling._ ” Oliver still stared. “But for legal purposes your word is precise.”

Felicity Smoak had hacking skills. And she said her company, which meant she worked in the tech field.

She looked like Librarian Barbie and broke into computer systems like it was nothing. She was... something else.

And he couldn’t say a word about because she smartly proposed attorney-client privilege.

Faster than anticipated Oliver heard a click on the door.

“Alright use your credentials and let us him. I’m starving.”

“What, can’t you open the door without me?” he teased, having no doubt she could bypass his firm’s security. So many potential issues here but strangely he barely cared about them.

“I can’t let you know all of my secrets.”

“Are you so mysterious, Miss Smoak?” His voice dropped to a deep and grave tone.

She didn’t answer but it seemed his words affected her.

“Be careful, Mr. Queen. You might be a master in depositions, but I sure as hell can interrogate anyone. Just give me Wi-Fi.” She packed the tablet and got up. “Also remember I can end your life in the blink of an eye.” Their eyes locked again. Hers sparked with its own light and her smile could be interpreted as flirtatious.

They entered the firm. Oliver looked at her when she closed the door. “Oh and Felicity? You said you wouldn’t hire me but you did.”

“Don’t ruin it, Oliver.”

But it was a fact they were bounded to screw things up. They knew how to argue with each other. They didn’t know how to handle that weirdly charged air of amicability.

They walked to his office.

“Oliver Queen, Junior Partner” she read the plaque. “They forgot your other titles. Lord Big Dumb Pine Tree, Captain Grumpy, Ruler of Arroganceland, Son of Assholeshire. Full Daenerys style.”

Oliver opened it and walked him, holding a chuckle. “Figured you’d be a Game of Thrones fan.”

Felicity looked around, looking a bit impressed. Snow still fell. “Course I am. Surprised you like it too.”

“I like a good political plot and fight scenes.” He dropped his backpack on his desk chair, took off his coat, suit jacket and tie. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll heat dinner. I mean... can I?”

“Sure. Microwave is working.” Felicity dropped her belongings on the big armchair next to the couch then turned on the nearby lamp.

Oliver was still weirded out she channeled electricity like that.

One should definitely not underestimate Felicity Smoak’s power.

He left the office and headed to the kitchen. He’d just removed the packages off the bag when she reappeared. “You can’t stand me but you can’t stand _not_ being around me.”

She rolled her eyes. “If you reach my breaking point I’ll plant your fingertips in every open homicide case in this country.”

The lawyer didn’t doubt she could actually do it. “I’d ask you if you were afraid of the dark but you’re some sort of Master of Light.”

“Master of Light, uuuuh I like the sound of that.” She leaned against the counter, watching him attentively. “Maybe you’re not totally a lost cause, counselor.”

“You’re gonna add to the plaque outside your office?” he quipped hiding an amused smile.

There they were in a friendly banter instead of trying to rip each other’s head off.

He stopped trying to figure out the craziness of that night. It was a lockdown, a one-time thing, they were both tired from working too much. After that they’d never see each other again.

“Perhaps,” she answered with a grin. A _grin_. His so-called nemesis was grinning.

Oliver heated the food and made a mental note: thanking Roy for ordering so much. His EA usually did that because of his hectic schedule and already anticipated a situation where he wouldn’t cook. Which, for Oliver, was the down side of being a workaholic. He loved cooking. The days which he managed to cook and prepare himself a delicious homemade meal were some of the best.

“You can grab anything you want from the fridge. I have a minibar but I guess there’s mostly water there. Maybe juice. If you want soda or anything...”

“Don’t they belong to your colleagues?” she warily asked.

He shrugged. “This is an unusual situation. I’ll handle them.”

Beaten by curiosity, Felicity opened the fridge. Oliver suddenly had an idea. “If there’s anything named after Adrian Chase, take it”, he said with a smirk.

“Who is this guy?” Felicity took a soda can who indeed was marked by the word ‘Adrian’. For one second he thought he found something else to like about her.

He didn’t want to like things about her.

Felicity looked at him over her shoulder and continued, “Your office affair? Your boyfriend?”

He just stared at her.

“Another nemesis? Geez Queen, you should really work on your attitude. You’re obviously the problem.”

“Adrian is a... frenemy of sorts”, he answered.

That night was really fucked up. First he was seeing there was good in Felicity Smoak now he was admitting his relationship with his obnoxious co-worker had a friendly thread.

“We joined the company the same year. We always had this rivalry. And I was promoted to partner first.”

Why the hell was he telling anything about his life to her?

They grabbed the food, some cutlery and returned to his office. The delicious smell filled their senses and Oliver felt how hungry he was.

They placed all the dishes on the table reserved for small meetings. Felicity took what she wanted in a plate then sat on the chair. Oliver settled by the table. He liked it because they weren’t friends and he just didn’t want to be near her.

He opened his minibar and grabbed a water bottle. There was some remaining white wine that would go down nicely with the food, but not now. He planned on opening a scotch bottle he kept at his bar. There was no way to spend that night with no alcohol.

Alcohol would probably burst the bubble of truce Oliver and Felicity somehow settled along the way. But this was ok. He was used to them lashing out on each other. This was their normal.

They ate in silence, not looking at each other. Strangely this filled the air with awkwardness - or better yet with awkward tension. They became overly aware of each other’s presence.

Food was great. It’d be even better if Oliver had eaten it right when it arrived, but, well, he was hungry.

They even managed to be civil while washing the forks and knives and throwing away the containers.

“Well, what to do now?” Felicity asked back at his office.

Oliver headed to the bar. “Don’t know about you.” He took a bottle of scotch, a glass and poured a generous dose of the amber liquid. Then he dropped on the couch and took a sip.

Felicity stared at him the entire way. Then she got up, took a glass herself and served her own dose.

“What are you doing?” he asked exasperatedly.

“Think you’re the only one who needs a drink after today?”

He scoffed. He didn’t mind sharing his liquor but it was Felicity.

She sat again, took off her shoes and put her legs up on the coffee table. She did have beautiful legs.

She shouldn’t affect him like this.

“Careful, this is for grown-ups”, he said remembering how she’d only drunk wine on the infamous day they bumped into each other at the lounge bar he usually went to.

She snorted. “Then why do you have a bottle? Stole from mommy and daddy?”

Oliver threw her a hard glare. She smiled in triumph, as if she won that battle. Instead of taking her first sip she met his eyes and rose her glass.

“Gonna toast to a shitty night? Might be bad luck.”

“You’re my bad luck, Oliver. I wanna make a toast so I can get rid of you.”

“Well that I agree with.” He also rose his glass. “May we never see each other again”, he wished, still staring at her. Even with the lack of proper light her eyes were still luminous.

“Cheers!”

They took a sip. Oliver’s glass emptied and he got up to fill some more. Ended up bringing the entire bottle and placed it on the coffee table so they could easily reach.

Soon Oliver felt the liquor bringing him warmth and welcomed the buzzing feeling. Felicity filled her glass again but he noticed she didn’t drink as much as he did. Considering her size the alcohol would hit her pretty fast. Her skin already looked flustered.

The air that fell between them was quite comfortable. The tension changed, though still remained thick. Oliver appeared nonchalant on the outside, but on the inside, he was confused. Did he say anything? Ask about her, what she worked with? Was he interested in knowing more about her?

He shouldn’t have overthought. Felicity being who she was took control of the conversation. She stood up, glass in hand, and walked around his office, looking around and commenting on his stuff while occasionally sipping her drink. The friendly banter was back and he just watched her, sunk on his couch, amused. She babbled more about other TV shows she liked, the place from where he bought their dinner, which Avenger he’d be – she adamantly stated she was Scarlet Witch.

“Why?” he asked amusedly, his own glass resting on his lap with the rest of the whiskey, his eyes never leaving her for an inch.

“Witchcraft, duh”, she answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Here and then Oliver spoke, but in fact he was comfortable with her talk. She teased him when he defended ‘Die Hard’ was a Christmas movie. He realized there was more to Felicity when they weren’t arguing with each other. She was vastly intelligent and interesting.

He briefly talked about some of his old cases when the tips of her fingers brushed old papers. When telling about the class action against a landlord who purposely set havoc in his buildings to profit of his tenants, Oliver saw something change in her eyes when she noticed he wasn’t the type of lawyer who only filled even more rich people’s pockets.

Later, when conversation died and Felicity was back in her seat, Oliver saw through the corner of his eye her lids trembling as she battled sleep. “Why don’t you sleep?” he quietly asked.

“Right. Sleep in an unknown place with a stranger.”

“No need to be snarky. I’m not gonna attack you or whatever you think.” He was offended.

“Even if I wanted to sleep, which I don’t, where the hell would I sleep? In the couch, cuddling with you?”

“You said it, not me”, Oliver quipped and drank the rest of the scotch. She fulminated him with a glare. “I’d give you the couch except I’m taking it-”

“Such a gentleman”, she mumbled, the glass close to her lips.

Even with the calm buzz of the alcohol, he lost a bit of his cool and blurted, “Need I remind you if it weren’t for me you’d be god knows where alone with no food? Or that you would’ve passed out of panic?”

Oliver knew he went too far in the exact instant the words left his mouth. Felicity flinched, her face echoing before for a second before she closed her expression. “Isn’t there another office open so I can take the couch?”

There probably were, he thought. Except the thought of leaving her alone and something happening inexplicably gutted him. At least there with him he’d wake up if anything, he was a light sleeper.

But he couldn’t control her. “Yeah”, he answered with an almost whisper. He felt awful, a sour taste in his tongue. One thing was bantering, another thing was hurting her. He hated the feeling. Hated seeing her face like that. Worse, hated that _he_ put it there.

She stood up decided, and Oliver reacted instinctively. He put his empty glass on the table, jumped off the couch, crossed the distance between them and wrapped his fingers around her wrist that was going to pick her purse. The physical contact caught them both by surprise as well as the fact they were in each other’s personal space. They let go of each other as if they’d been burned. He took a step back and placed his hands inside his pockets, fearing he’d touch her again.

Fearing he’d _want_ that.

“What I said was a dick move. I am truly sorry.” He took a deep breath. “Don’t go, please. This night is already hard enough, I thought maybe we could be a little civil with each other so we can go through it somehow easier?”

She looked at him, face unreadable. Oliver kept going, “I just said that about the couch because I don’t fit anywhere else. You took the big chair which fits you in a way. Won’t be the best sleep of your life, obviously, but you’ll be able to recharge your batteries a little.”

Seconds seemed to drag.

“Fine.” At last she spoke. “But if you have some sort of blanket I call dibs.”

Oliver realized how easy it was to make concessions for her. And he was the attorney, trained to use his speech so people would do what he wanted. What a lousy attorney he was. _One-time thing_ , he repeated internally.

He did have a sofa blanket which he never used because he didn’t like it; it’d been a gift. He walked to a cabinet, took it out and handed it to her.

Not long after they settled to sleep. He luckily had his own toothbrush at the firm so he brushed his teeth and Felicity also stopped by the bathroom with her toiletry bag. When they returned, she plopped on her chair for the night, adjusted one of the cushions he gave to her and wrapped the blanket around her body.

“What about you?” she asked with genuine worry.

“I’ll improvise.” He took her trench coat, unleashing a ‘Hey!’ from her. “I already gave you the warm thing.” He laid on the couch and tried his best to cover himself with both of their coats. He’d been wearing that suit for so many hours he started to hate it.

“Hey Oliver.” Her voice was almost a whisper. He turned his head on the cushion. “Thanks for helping me with... y’know. It would’ve been truly hell if you weren’t there.”

“Don’t mention it. Also it’s not something to be ashamed about. Doesn’t make you any less of who you are.”

She was genuinely surprised with his gentle words. Then she opened a soft smile that he felt in his chest. Oliver looked away from her.

Felicity turned off the lamp. “Good night, Captain Grumpy.”

“Good night, Miss Avenger.”

“I prefer Master of Light.”

Which was why Oliver would never say it again. “I don’t care about your preferences, _darling.”_ Amusement danced in his eyes.

She huffed and he closed his eyes with a triumphant smirk. He won for the day.

Eventually Oliver and Felicity were released from the lockdown. There was still a lot of snow, but at least they could go back home.

Surprisingly they didn’t murder each other and became news. It was one for the books.

“Freedom!” Felicity exclaimed when they left his firm. She looked tired, even after sleeping, and Oliver knew he didn’t look better.

In silence, they rode the elevator down to the garage. When they were about to part their ways, they exchange a glance.

“For the record, you’re fired. I don’t need your services anymore, counselor”, she said in a gentler voice he got used to back when they met.

“Never need them again”, he quipped back.

Eyes still remained locked. They didn’t know what to say.

Didn’t want to admit it wasn’t as awful as they thought. Quite the opposite. There were more moments than they’d like to admit they enjoyed each other’s company.

“Well then, this” Felicity waved her finger back and forth between them “is finally over.”

“I don’t plan on seeing you ever again, Felicity.”

They worked in a giant building with a lot of elevators. He'd hardly seen her before they met and didn’t doubt this pattern could return.

Oliver and Felicity left, more than willing to pretend the night never existed.

But of course that wasn’t the last time they saw each other.

Lockdown was only the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who paid close attention to this intro had a big hint why they saw each other again ;) Precisely the main plot of the multichapter (still dunno if I'll write it).
> 
> So this was the second part. Hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> The world is a mess right now and nothing like fanfic, right? This is my first rom-com so yeah, I'm a little nervous lol Hope you found this entertaining!  
> I'll be posting the second part of this ridiculously long glimpse/sort of prologue within a few days.
> 
> Kudos/comments always appreciated and make an author's day.


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